Mac Forum / Applications / Word / May 2008

I am encountring the same problem! i Just bought Office 2008 and am
not able to use any of the online clip art!  Whats the deal?

When i download the clipart from the website, it saves as a file named
clipart in my downloads folder. Opening this file launches clip art
gallery, but it gives an error message saying that it can only be
launched from within office!

However, trying to import the file in clip art gallery once launched
from office is impossible as it does not recognize it.

Can anyone confirm that they have been able to use this feature in
office 2008???

Hi Laurie,
 Sorry to hear you (and others) have found some issues in Office 2008, but
thanks for reporting them.  This information can be really helpful for
making the user experience better with Office for Mac.

 Are the files you download .cil files?  The Clip Gallery does not read
.mpf files.  On the download page where you can click "Download Now" it
should say "Import into Clip Gallery for Macintosh" as the Media
Application.  If it doesn't then please retry downloading that clipart and
it should then say the proper message, download as .cil, and import when
double-clicking.  It may be a network issue with the Office for Windows
website and we're investigating what is going on here.

-Eric
MacOffice Testing
Microsoft

P.S.  This thread would be better in the Office newsgroup (not
Word-specific), but works here.

--
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.

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On 5/18/08 4:11 PM, in article
c568b4a7-6c05-43a5-b23c-bed956098435@z72g2000hsb.googlegroups.com,

I guess there isn't much much to be said since you've apparently drawn your
conclusions already, but I will offer a few points for your consideration:

1- All of the posts in the thread you hijacked pertain to a totally
different issue involving the downloading of clipart - none of them concern
crashes in any way,

2- That issue is known to not be an Office-specific problem, but is
attributable to one of certain issues detailed in a post from John McGhie -
same thread, but 2 weeks later than the one to which you "replied",

3- All of the posts in this thread pre-date the availability of the 12.1.0
update by at least a week, so it's impossible that the update caused them
even if they were the same problem you're experiencing,

4- Since that release yours is the first mention of of such a problem in
either the Word or Office group, and finally

5- Although I'm running 10.5.0 rather than 10.5.2 I am using 12.1.0 on a
MacBook Pro. I'm able to insert as much clipart in a Word document as I
choose without any hesitation, let alone crashes. And it doesn't make any
difference whether it's a Word 2008 .docx or prior file in Compatibility
Mode. That's the case regardless of whether I use the Insert> Picture> Clip
Art command, the Clip  Art button on the Drawing Toolbar, or the Clip Art
group of the Object Palette in the Toolbox.

Since it's evident that the Clip Art Gallery does indeed work with 12.1.0 it
suggests that the trouble you're experiencing could be an issue local to
your system. If you are willing to consider the possibility that this just
"may" be the case perhaps you'd see fit to post a *new* message detailing
all particulars so those who have no reason to be revisiting this thread
will be more likely to notice it and offer assistance.

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

How did you get the .mpf file?

Whenever I try it, the Microsoft Clip Gallery downloads .cil to my Mac, and
that will load into the Clip Gallery with a double-click.

If you are seeing .mpf (media package file) I think you are downloading with
a Windows machine (or a browser pretending to be one).

There is no decoder on the Mac for .mpf.  It's an encrypted package file.

You either need to decode the package in Windows, then copy the individual
files to your Mac, or you need to re-download the same files from your Mac,
this time admitting that you are using Safari as your browser and have a
licensed version of Office 2001 or later installed.

You will then be sent a .cil file that will install to Office with a
double-click :-)

The situation is that a large percentage of the files available on the
Microsoft Clip Gallery are provided by outside companies.  Microsoft pays
these companies per download for their files.  Microsoft got a little sick
of filling Linux computers with free clip-art, so now they check that you're
a paying Microsoft customer before buying clipart on your behalf to send to
you :-)

Cheers

On 6/05/08 6:28 PM, in article
9F246B0E-BB0C-406C-830C-55507D98B807@microsoft.com, "Simon"

Sorry Rory:

I know you have been on this issue for a while.

There are three issues:

1)  The clipart database can corrupt.  I think this has happened to you.

2)  Some browsers take the extension off the file name that is downloaded
(e.g. Firefox).  If that happens, put the extension .cil back, or your Mac
doesn't know what to do with the file.

3)  Sometimes the website fails to detect that you are on a Mac and hands
you the windows package instead.  If the website offers you a .mpf file,
cancel and refresh the web page.  The Mac cannot decode a .mpf file and
there is no way to make it do so.

To resolve issue 1, look for the clip gallery user database file in folder
Microsoft Office 2004/Clipart/Clip Art

If it is there, move the content of the folder to a folder on your desktop.

Then look for the ~Microsoft Office 2008/Office/Media/Clipart/Personal
folder, and move the content of that to a folder on your desktop.

Now, your Clip Gallery should start without a crash, and rebuild its
database without a crash.

Come back to us and tell us what happens next.

Cheers

On 7/05/08 3:07 AM, in article
fc5e8602-6e3d-4442-9533-1da031f2495f@l64g2000hse.googlegroups.com,